My annual article, 52 Restaurants for your Bucket List, was originally created to provide readers with an easy way to explore the wealth of restaurants in the Milwaukee scene over the course of one year (52 weeks). Today, as we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, it provides a fun and equally compelling guide for folks who’d like to bring variety to their weekly meals while providing vital support to some of our finest local restaurants.
EsterEv
360 E. Erie St., (414) 488-8036
esterev.com
If you're in need of a relaxing night out that offers all the satisfaction of a well executed tasting menu without the pretense, then EsterEv is the perfect solution.
This tiny little restaurant-within-a-restaurant at DanDan showcases the finer dining side of Chefs Daniel Jacobs and Dan Van Rite and their talented staff. Despite the caliber of the dishes served, the beauty of Ester Ev is that it remains a comfortable spot with little to no pretense. It’s something reflected in not only the atmosphere and mood, but also the pricing. A meal at EsterEv feels grand, but it's also one of the best finer dining deals in the city at less than $100 per person.
The current menu includes five courses, including:
- Snacks: caviar tater tot, steak tartare dolma, bread and butter
- Avgolemono with chicken, wild rice, lemon (pairing: Mendraka Bizkaiko Txakolina 2017)
- Raviolo with quail egg, ricotta and tomato (pairing: Lelievre Gris de Toul 2018)
- Halibut with peppers, chorizo, clams and saffron (pairing: Manuel Olivier Bourgogne Aligote 2016)
- Waygu with cucumber, sour cream, red onion, ramps (pairing: Clos Cibonne Tentations 2017)
- Dessert with banana, chocolate financier, Opalys ganache, streusel (pairing: Dumangin Ratafia Champenois)
Dinner is $65 and includes five courses; the optional wine pairing is available for an additional $35. Reservations are required. Interested guests can make a reservation by calling DanDan at (414) 488-8036 or reserving a seat via Tock
Note: Toensure safety for both staff and guests, the restaurant will forego its tiny quarters, hosting dinners on the socially distanced DanDan patio (as weather permits) or inside the DanDan restaurant.
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
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